AS A young professional footballer for Hull City, Paul Winter believed he had the hunger to reach the top.

But his coach, Terry Neill, thought otherwise.

"The problem with you, Paul, is you've got options," he told the 17-year-old.

"Those other players haven't.

"You won't do as I tell you, you ask questions.

"You would be better off going to university."

Paul took his advice and now, 36 years on, runs consultancy Corpra and is the current president of the Management Consultancies Association (MCA).

"I wasn't hungry enough to be a footballer," he says.

"I thought I was, but I wasn't anywhere near as hungry as a kid whose only option was succeeding in football."

But this did not mark an end to his sporting career.

He went on to fund his way through Glamorgan University by playing pro rugby for Merthyr Tydfil.

When he moved to London he played for London Welsh RFC, which also turned out to be a useful networking tool.

He started working in property, then moved into venture capitalism. And after a stint at the Cranfield Management School he set up Corpra, which helps businesses grow sustainably through strategy and change.

The company counts Microsoft, BP and News International among its clients.

"I have been able to apply lessons from sport throughout my professional life," Paul said.

"We look at how people have reacted to a crisis, how they cope under pressure, can they keep clear thinking? It is very much like football coaching.

"Most of the sophisticated academic business models can be simplified down to a sporting metaphor.

"And the same rules apply. I always tell people, if you win by an inch, it is a win. So what do you need to do to make sure you win every time."

As president of the MCA, he is heading up the organisation's new strategy, which focuses on growth.

He said: "We want to look at how management consultants can play a role in industry being more active. When we all get around the table there's 60 of us, representing billions of pounds worth of industry.

"If we're a little bit more positive and aggressive, with the right clients we can get things moving.

"It is all about encouraging growth, rather than people hunkering down behind the wall and hoping it will all blow over.

"We want to get people out there seizing opportunities and help them understand the right risks to take."

Paul believes Hull suffers a chronic lack of self-confidence, which is hindering economic growth in the city.

He knows the area well having spent a number of childhood years in Withernsea.

"The economic outlook for East Yorkshire is not that grim," he said. "In the 1970s things were ten times worse.

"I will not be popular for saying this, but the concern about the economy is partly an illusion, based around a lack of confidence and the belief that Government can do something to get you out of it – that Government can give you a grant or tax break.

"Hull is much bigger and more capable than it thinks it is. It is a good size to be an effective economic unit. But it has been dependent on too much Government support.

"Politicians at the time thought they were doing the area a favour, but they weren't."

He thinks the key to future success in the city is growing export trade with Europe through the ports.

He said: "Hull has a big history of export and import, loads of people in the city have a mixed heritage from Denmark and Holland.

"Businesses in the city need to look more at international trade."

Paul does, however, think downturns are a healthy and natural process for any economy.

"There has to be a cycle of decay, rebirth and renewal and that process makes everything tougher and stronger," he said.

But he is concerned about how the next generation of business leaders will cope with such challenges.

"There was a whole load of people who didn't have the experience of resilience to cope when the recession hit because it had been such a long period of growth. People in my role are worried about the quality of leadership coming through with the next generation.

"They had so much given to them on a plate.

"They didn't have to fight to get their jobs 20 years ago.

"They didn't have to fight to climb the career ladder.

"The thirty-somethings of today are going to need a lot more training and development than the previous generation."